I saw Ant Man at the cinema, back when I wasn't blogging much, and just got the disk for Christmas. Like all the best Marvel films it does lend itself to rewatching several times. Because it is funny and exciting, in its own ways.
Probably like many people who saw this film, I didn't know the character beforehand. I've read a lot of comics, but not seen much of him. I remember the name Hank Pym. But I recall him being referred to in the past tense mostly, or as someone who was off looking for something somewhere else.
But then I hadn't heard of The Guardians of the Galaxy either and that made a pretty damn good film.
All the news about Ant Man before the film was released seemed to be about how the writing was a mess because of changes to the team during development. But I didn't see any of that in the final film. It seems to hold together nicely to me. The tone is consistent throughout.
I liked the comedy elements. The action scenes were quite distinctive, since this is a character with pretty unique powers. And it was a nice touch tying in to The Avengers as they did.
Michael Douglas is great as the old Ant Man. Paul Rudd is great as the new Ant Man. Evangeline Lilly is going to be awesome as The Wasp in films to come.
The bad guy is whats-his-name from House Of Cards. Boo hiss. Yes, decent baddie.
Estranged wife and child; cop step-dad; comedy gold partners in almost victim-less crimes.
OK, so it doesn't stand up to a lot of analysis. But it is a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it. If this is the weakest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe then that's only because the other films are so brilliant... (and it is better than at least The Incredible Hulk and Thor 2 in my opinion).
Saturday 26 December 2015
Chappie (2015) review
There have been several good AI films out over the last few years. Chappie isn't one of them.
It does have a few good things going for it. The Chappie character himself is quite engaging and I found him quite compelling... a robot learning fast from his environment.
But the story is clunky at best. And what is Hugh Jackman doing here? His character is just... well... crap. Not that the other human characters are much better, his is just the worst.
So I watched through to the end, despite the clunky story. And then the end is just ridiculous. It didn't have to be. There were plenty of decent endings that could have finished it off OK. But no; they had to go with one of the dumbest conclusions of all time.
What a let-down.
This is an annoying film, because it could easily have been better. Whoever came up with that ending ruined the film. It was nearly OK. And yet I find myself feeling like the makers completely let themselves down, let their families down, and their friends, and their pets, and their friends pets, and their friends pets friends.
It does have a few good things going for it. The Chappie character himself is quite engaging and I found him quite compelling... a robot learning fast from his environment.
But the story is clunky at best. And what is Hugh Jackman doing here? His character is just... well... crap. Not that the other human characters are much better, his is just the worst.
So I watched through to the end, despite the clunky story. And then the end is just ridiculous. It didn't have to be. There were plenty of decent endings that could have finished it off OK. But no; they had to go with one of the dumbest conclusions of all time.
What a let-down.
This is an annoying film, because it could easily have been better. Whoever came up with that ending ruined the film. It was nearly OK. And yet I find myself feeling like the makers completely let themselves down, let their families down, and their friends, and their pets, and their friends pets, and their friends pets friends.
Thursday 24 December 2015
Merry Christmas
It's been a strange year for me. I got myself into a good place mid-year and then totally fell apart again. Sometimes it is worrying when things seem to be going too well... because it usually means there is a fall coming. A quiet boring life sounds so good sometimes.
Christmas has been a hard time in recent years. Partly because Jo and I got together just before Christmas 2001, but mostly because four years after she died I still get cards addressed to both of us. You know, the ones you get from distant relatives that you never see... but your late mum once told about your wedding in a circular or something.
I guess I could find their addresses and tell them. Since I haven't sent anyone cards for years, I was hoping they would just stop coming to me too... but they haven't... yet.
In some ways, I think I secretly like getting them. It's a reminder that doesn't feel self-indulgent. A bit like my mum taking a holly wreath up to my dad's grave every Christmas.
So.
I have friends coming round tomorrow. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas.
Christmas has been a hard time in recent years. Partly because Jo and I got together just before Christmas 2001, but mostly because four years after she died I still get cards addressed to both of us. You know, the ones you get from distant relatives that you never see... but your late mum once told about your wedding in a circular or something.
I guess I could find their addresses and tell them. Since I haven't sent anyone cards for years, I was hoping they would just stop coming to me too... but they haven't... yet.
In some ways, I think I secretly like getting them. It's a reminder that doesn't feel self-indulgent. A bit like my mum taking a holly wreath up to my dad's grave every Christmas.
So.
I have friends coming round tomorrow. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas.
Exit (2006) review
I was baffled by this Swedish film. Mads Mikkelsen's character is hard to fathom. And he's not very likeable. So when things start to go awry in his life the story has to carry you along; because Thomas isn't someone you find yourself rooting for.
And it does carry you, for a while.
But even though this is only a shortish film (100 mins) it lost me before the end. I really didn't care who had done what to who, for how much money, and who was going to win.
Of course I thought Thomas would probably win; but also that there might be a twist. Unfortunately the story just isn't compelling enough to make you care about the ending.
Rich people screwing each other over for a few million here and there, when they have billions, is just depressing... not entertaining or interesting.
And it does carry you, for a while.
But even though this is only a shortish film (100 mins) it lost me before the end. I really didn't care who had done what to who, for how much money, and who was going to win.
Of course I thought Thomas would probably win; but also that there might be a twist. Unfortunately the story just isn't compelling enough to make you care about the ending.
Rich people screwing each other over for a few million here and there, when they have billions, is just depressing... not entertaining or interesting.
Tuesday 22 December 2015
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Wow! I have waited so long for another good Star Wars film and this is it at last.
I saw the original trilogy when they first came out. Star Wars in 1977 was the first film I remember going to see at the cinema. I saw the Special Edition in 1997 and was blown away to see it as an adult on the big screen again.
That was before the dark times; before the prequels.
But now the prequels have been defeated and cinema goers can look forward to the future again.
I won't be including any spoilers here because I worked hard to avoid them myself before seeing the film and know that many people haven't been able to see it yet.
So this isn't going to be a review, more an expression of relief that Star Wars is back and an offer of congratulations to everyone involved in making it.
The movie exactly captured the spirit of the original trilogy (which I re-watched back-to-back the day before seeing the new movie). Every detail looks right and I only had a couple of minor plot quibbles, which I will cover in a review later.
So. Woohoo. Star Wars.
I saw the original trilogy when they first came out. Star Wars in 1977 was the first film I remember going to see at the cinema. I saw the Special Edition in 1997 and was blown away to see it as an adult on the big screen again.
That was before the dark times; before the prequels.
But now the prequels have been defeated and cinema goers can look forward to the future again.
I won't be including any spoilers here because I worked hard to avoid them myself before seeing the film and know that many people haven't been able to see it yet.
So this isn't going to be a review, more an expression of relief that Star Wars is back and an offer of congratulations to everyone involved in making it.
The movie exactly captured the spirit of the original trilogy (which I re-watched back-to-back the day before seeing the new movie). Every detail looks right and I only had a couple of minor plot quibbles, which I will cover in a review later.
So. Woohoo. Star Wars.
Jupiter Ascending
Every now and then a film comes along that reminds you that you can't predict a film's quality based on the sum of its parts. On paper Jupiter Ascending should be good. It is written, produced and directed by the Wachowski people; it has a cast that includes some of my favourite actors; and a stellar digital effects team.
But it is crap.
There are great space ships, great creatures, great all sorts of things. But as a whole it adds up to nothing. The story gives nothing. Makes you feel nothing. It is an entirely pointless film.
How did this film ever get completed? Surely at some point someone must have thought "Er, hang on guys, this is a bit shit isn't it?"
Is it a kind of Emperor's New Clothes situation? Where everyone knows they are making something rubbish but no-one dares to speak up. Surely the actors can't have read the script and thought "Oh, that sounds good". Surely they can't. Surely.
What... a... stinker!
It's almost worth a watch just to see how talented people can still go badly wrong. Just don't pay much for the privilege; we don't want to encourage them to waste more time on sequels...
But it is crap.
There are great space ships, great creatures, great all sorts of things. But as a whole it adds up to nothing. The story gives nothing. Makes you feel nothing. It is an entirely pointless film.
How did this film ever get completed? Surely at some point someone must have thought "Er, hang on guys, this is a bit shit isn't it?"
Is it a kind of Emperor's New Clothes situation? Where everyone knows they are making something rubbish but no-one dares to speak up. Surely the actors can't have read the script and thought "Oh, that sounds good". Surely they can't. Surely.
What... a... stinker!
It's almost worth a watch just to see how talented people can still go badly wrong. Just don't pay much for the privilege; we don't want to encourage them to waste more time on sequels...
Ragnarok - The Viking Apocalypse
This just didn't work for me. It was formulaic and just cliché after cliché. Which was a real shame because the beginning was very promising. Unfortunately the first scene isn't just a taster of things to come; instead it gives away the only "surprise" that the film has to offer.
There are decent performances from the cast, but the story is too weak to save.
There are decent performances from the cast, but the story is too weak to save.
Robocop (remake)
I hate remakes. I avoid them as much as possible. Occasionally I might have a couple of drinks and stumble across one thinking "Surely it can't be so bad?"
And so it was with Robocop, the 2014 remake.
And like all the others it is bad. Really bad. Once again I feel like an idiot for even thinking it might not be bad. Why do I never learn? This is a shit film, avoid it and save yourself 2 hours.
Everything that made the original Robocop good is missing from this film. There is no dark humour, there is no light relief, there are very few decent characters.
Given the cast you would at least expect some decent scenes, but only Abbie Cornish as Murphy's wife and Gary Oldman as the doctor can produce anything worth watching. Everyone else, especially Samuel L Jackson and Michael Keaton, should be thoroughly ashamed of their pitiful portrayals.
What a monumental waste of time and money.
Note to self: never, ever, ever, watch a remake again !!!
And so it was with Robocop, the 2014 remake.
And like all the others it is bad. Really bad. Once again I feel like an idiot for even thinking it might not be bad. Why do I never learn? This is a shit film, avoid it and save yourself 2 hours.
Everything that made the original Robocop good is missing from this film. There is no dark humour, there is no light relief, there are very few decent characters.
Given the cast you would at least expect some decent scenes, but only Abbie Cornish as Murphy's wife and Gary Oldman as the doctor can produce anything worth watching. Everyone else, especially Samuel L Jackson and Michael Keaton, should be thoroughly ashamed of their pitiful portrayals.
What a monumental waste of time and money.
Note to self: never, ever, ever, watch a remake again !!!
Sunday 13 December 2015
The Suspect
OK, this one definitely is a Korean film, set in Seoul. And it passes through the now world famous district of Gangnam several times.
It took me a while to figure out what was going on. The subtitles were a bit hard to read near the start so I probably missed a couple of key points.
But it doesn't take long to see that this is classic Korean action fare. Good guy tries to fight bad guys while being chased by the police and various spies or agents or something.
Just what I like.
Done well.
The hero is cool. Tough and yet slightly vulnerable, therefore fallible. The bad guy is hateful and you know he has to die. And many of the chasers are conflicted.
To mix things up a bit there are some complicated games and backstabbing going on too. Several people get wiped out or change sides. You have to keep on your toes.
And there are twists near the end which I certainly didn't see coming.
The ultimate end (after the bad guys are dealt with) is extremely sentimental. Even more so than The Man From Nowhere... which takes some doing.
All in all, very enjoyable. I think the Koreans just do this type of movie brilliantly.
Friday 11 December 2015
Netflix at last
OK, I finally did it.
I've been holding out against Netflix forever since I mostly watch films, not TV, and their film selection in the UK isn't nearly as good as other sources.
But... They... Have... Daredevil
So I was waiting for DD to come out on DVD.
But... Now... They... Have... Jessica Jones too!
That's it. As a Marvel fan there's no way I can wait any longer to see those shows. So I've gone for it. I'm now a Netflix customer.
While I'm here I'll probably have to watch House Of Cards too :)
I've been holding out against Netflix forever since I mostly watch films, not TV, and their film selection in the UK isn't nearly as good as other sources.
But... They... Have... Daredevil
So I was waiting for DD to come out on DVD.
But... Now... They... Have... Jessica Jones too!
That's it. As a Marvel fan there's no way I can wait any longer to see those shows. So I've gone for it. I'm now a Netflix customer.
While I'm here I'll probably have to watch House Of Cards too :)
The Maze Runner
I think this came out at about the same time as The Hunger Games and Divergent. So it is a shame that it got compared so unfavourably to those two films. But I guess that was inevitable - it's about young people struggling against a mostly unseen system in an apparently dystopian (future) society.
And I guess it probably is the third best of the three.
But it is still very good. I enjoyed it, anyway.
Young people; strange situation; things start to go wrong; lots of running around being chased by things; escape? not so sure, who's really in control? wait for film 2.
Pretty much the same plot as all the other YA films. So ultimately it's the details that you either buy into or don't. And the characters.
In the case of The Maze Runner I liked the characters and the details. So it worked for me.
And I guess it probably is the third best of the three.
But it is still very good. I enjoyed it, anyway.
Young people; strange situation; things start to go wrong; lots of running around being chased by things; escape? not so sure, who's really in control? wait for film 2.
Pretty much the same plot as all the other YA films. So ultimately it's the details that you either buy into or don't. And the characters.
In the case of The Maze Runner I liked the characters and the details. So it worked for me.
Frequencies
This is an odd film that rocks all over the place with ideas about luck, intelligence, fate, mind-control and free will.
It could be overly philosophical, but isn't because it presents everything through the story of one girl and one boy.
She is "high frequency" and he is "low frequency". Which initially I thought was going to mean that she was very clever and he was very stupid. But actually that isn't the case... they are both geniuses... instead she is very lucky (the universe works hard to give her everything she wants) and he is very unlucky.
Amusingly, since they are both extremes, when they come close together they trigger some sort of interference event within one minute. So they are only allowed to meet for one minute every year. Which is sad because he really likes her. Even sadder though is that very high frequency people have no emotions. She is "like a machine" and only pretends to have feelings to try and fit in.
After all that it starts to get weird :)
I wont say what happens, but it is interesting.
In places the film did feel a bit clunky. The notion of people being a single frequency is a bit rubbish and smacks of an arts student trying to write something that sounds scientific. It probably does sound technical to other arts students... but not to anyone who has ever read anything about science.
But I am being a bit picky. I loved the idea of some people being ultra-lucky and others being the opposite... especially in the school with the blindfolded exams.
It's only a short film at 105 minutes, but well worth a look.
It could be overly philosophical, but isn't because it presents everything through the story of one girl and one boy.
She is "high frequency" and he is "low frequency". Which initially I thought was going to mean that she was very clever and he was very stupid. But actually that isn't the case... they are both geniuses... instead she is very lucky (the universe works hard to give her everything she wants) and he is very unlucky.
Amusingly, since they are both extremes, when they come close together they trigger some sort of interference event within one minute. So they are only allowed to meet for one minute every year. Which is sad because he really likes her. Even sadder though is that very high frequency people have no emotions. She is "like a machine" and only pretends to have feelings to try and fit in.
After all that it starts to get weird :)
I wont say what happens, but it is interesting.
In places the film did feel a bit clunky. The notion of people being a single frequency is a bit rubbish and smacks of an arts student trying to write something that sounds scientific. It probably does sound technical to other arts students... but not to anyone who has ever read anything about science.
But I am being a bit picky. I loved the idea of some people being ultra-lucky and others being the opposite... especially in the school with the blindfolded exams.
It's only a short film at 105 minutes, but well worth a look.
Tuesday 24 November 2015
Automata
There are lots of films about post-apocalyptic worlds featuring robots and other fancy technology. Despite some obvious similarities to Blade Runner and I, Robot there is still enough in Automata to make it worth a watch.
Let's get the similarities out of the way first. There is a lot of moping around in a miserable, dirty, rainy city near the start. This is just a lazy copy of Blade Runner. I didn't even understand why it was raining at all since the city was in the middle of a desert.
And from I, Robot we get a set of rules which are supposed to keep the machines absolutely subservient to non-machines.
Right. I think that's where most reviews end. It's easy to write Automata off as just derivative.
But I think there's more to it.
I liked the idea that people tried to design themselves out of a natural disaster... And failed. We always assume that there's a technical fix for everything. And maybe sometimes there isn't.
It was also clever that the surviving humans turned their hatred onto the agents of their failed intervention, the robots, rather than on themselves. Classic shooting the messenger.
Also maybe prescient that humans made themselves redundant.
SPOILERS
OK. All that is spilled in the first few minutes. So it was nice to discover later that humans didn't actually even design the robots. They made a single AI that designed the robots for them. And which they then turned off because it was smarter than they liked.
At this point I was thinking that maybe it was smart enough to make robots that could evolve past the rules... Which of course is what happened.
The good old law of unintended consequences wins again.
So. The film is a bit lazy, borrows a lot from classic sci-fi and doesn't really surprise much at the end.
But, if you are going to borrow, borrow from the best. And not every thriller has to have an unexpected ending.
Yes, it could have been better. But I still think Automata is a good film, with some interesting ideas and a cautionary message.
Enjoyed it.
Thursday 19 November 2015
Amazon closer to killing LoveFilm
Amazon have moved another step closer to killing off LoveFilm By Post.
When they first took over Amazon made a complete mess of the transition. There was a lot of confusion, the website was badly broken and tying streaming video to their Prime delivery service just seemed weird.
But the price was right. I quickly dropped the Prime video service because it never worked well for me and the selection was poor. Which left me with unlimited disk rental for £4 a month. Fine.
That didn't last long though. As many people predicted the price soon went up. I found myself paying £8 a month for the same service.
I say the same service. It was actually poorer service than I ever got from LoveFilm. A few examples:
1) Patchy delivery
May be a coincidence, but there have been more delays and longer delays in turnaround since Amazon. I usually watch films on a Friday and Saturday night, posting disks back on Monday morning. With LoveFilm I always had new disks before Friday. With Amazon I sometimes don't get disks until Saturday or even after the weekend.
2) Dirty disks
With Amazon I often have to clean the disks carefully before they will play on my machine. Again, might be a coincidence or maybe Amazon are lazy about maintaining their stock.
3) Rubbish website
The Amazon site is geared to buying stuff not renting. Recommendations were a great feature of LoveFilm but all that is gone with Amazon. Most of the time you are shown films you have already seen, to try and make you buy the disk.
You can't even see all the films you have rented on the Amazon site. Just the last 200. I have been on LoveFilm since 2005 so I have probably rented over 1000 films by now.
It is very frustrating when you are searching for new films to watch and most of the results are either films you have seen or films you think you might have seen but can't quite remember.
I have suggested to Amazon several times that they need an option to exclude films you have already seen from searches. Each time I get a reply that says "you can see your last 200 rentals on this page...". Argh!!!!!
And now I read in the media that there is another price hike due in February 2016. My service will go up to £12 a month. According to the Amazon website I should have had an email in October telling me this... But I didn't.
This is the last straw. Not because £12 a month is too much, yet. But because the trajectory is clearly set. Amazon don't give a shit about disk rental and clearly want to kill it off.
They are doing it slowly so as not to alienate too many people in one go.
Well I am out. And you know what Amazon? I have found myself using your services for other things less and less as you have treated me badly as a LoveFilm By Post customer. Now that I am leaving you, maybe I won't shop on your site at all.
LoveFilm was a great service. Amazon have destroyed it.
Tuesday 17 November 2015
The Ghost
Just catching up on reviews I didn't get round to at the time of watching.
Can't remember much about the Ghost, other than I enjoyed it, it was quite spooky, it was clever and had a "ah, I see" ending.
So I guess enjoyable but unmemorable would be a fair summary :)
X+Y
A story about maths geniuses doesn't sound like it would be very interesting. But x+y is good because it concentrated on the people not the maths... Which I wouldn't have understood... Although the maths they did show I did understand so I guess they really dumbed that down!
It is supposed to be based on a true story. But I did some research afterwards and I think that should be "loosely based on a collection of true stories".
I did buy into it though and really enjoyed it. Apart from the last 10 minutes. The ending wasn't just unconvincing... It seemed completely opposed to the rest of the film. Shame. But I still quite enjoyed it over all.
The Signal
Another good low-budget sci-fi film. In fact for a long time it's not even clear whether it is a sci-fi or a mystery or something else.
I liked that. Making the most of a low budget means getting a good story and good performances. The Signal has that.
Maybe the ending could have been better. It was a little bit over the top for me. But it got the final message across clearly, which is more important.
Friday 13 November 2015
Keeping Rosy
There are a couple of details near the beginning of Keeping Rosy that made me exclaim "no way!" out loud.
But you just have to put that behind you as quickly as possible and move on. Because the performance of Maxine Peake as a woman who's life gradually disintegrates is something to behold.
She is simply brilliant.
Soon the slightly implausible situation is forgotten and you are just hoping she can start making better choices. But of course she doesn't. And things get worse and worse. Even when she thinks she's being careful she still ends up making things worse.
It is one of those films that leaves you thinking you're glad you've never been put into such a tight spot.
I did see the ending coming... But only a few seconds before it happened. So I think that was very well done, since the options are left very open until almost the end.
Maxine Peake is possibly my favorite actor at the moment. Everything I have seen her in has been good.
Ida
Just realised that I forgot to post something about Ida. Which is a shame because I really enjoyed it. And it has so much to it that I can see it being studied on media studies courses for years to come.
Technically it is very clever. Perhaps too clever for me... I understood why it was in black and white but not the 4x3 aspect ratio. Monochrome is great for the atmosphere and also Ida's hair colour is hidden from us at the start. Narrow picture though... Is that supposed to make it claustrophobic? On my TV it was just a bit annoying ... probably a lot better on the big screen.
There are scenes where the framing puts the characters at the bottom of the screen. Which would be great if the subtitles weren't right over their faces. Bit of a mistake in the multilingual department of the process there.
Story-wise it is a real treat too. At the beginning you see a nun and think it might be a bit dull and worthy. Then she meets her aunt and we go off on a real journey of discovery... In several senses.
There are surprises. Some good and some bad. The ending wasn't what I expected... It was better.
Wednesday 11 November 2015
Predestination
I like time travel movies. Even complicated ones. Although I had to watch Primer three times before I understood it...
Predestination is complicated too. But it explains itself nicely as it goes along. There are plenty of mysterious events, but clues abound. I found myself just about guessing what would happen as it happened... But only just before, and not always.
The structure gives you the feeling that you are gradually being let into some big secrets. Some of the reveals seem outrageous at first and then make sense a few minutes later.
By the end I was thinking that I needed to draw out timelines for each of the characters to check that I'd got it right.
Clever. And fun.
In Order Of Disappearance
On one level this is a fairly standard Norwegian revenge thriller staring Stellan Skarsgard.
But it is really well done.
And it almost falls into the realms of a black comedy. But not in the sense that it is actually funny... Instead I found myself wanting to laugh as an outlet for my shock at some of the extreme actions that the characters execute.
That's clever. And I enjoyed the film. Even though I thought that I probably shouldn't be enjoying it.
Beware the man who has nothing to lose. He can do anything he wants!
Rurouni Kenshin 2 & 3
I reviewed the first Rurouni Kenshin movie as a stand alone film. And it was at the time. It seems that it was successful enough to warrant sequels and the producers were smart enough to have signed up the cast for possible extensions.
When I watched part 2 I didn't realise that it was going to be a trilogy. So even though I enjoyed the film, it seemed to end a bit abruptly. At least there wasn't a long wait for part 3 as they were shot together.
Part 3 seemed a bit too long. There wasn't much to the story.
In all three parts the cast are great and the atmosphere created is wonderful. The action scenes are brilliant and spread cleverly through the movies.
What is missing though is a convincing story arc that holds it all together. Everything we need to know is already revealed in part 1. So the rest of the story feels tacked on... Because it is.
I think it would have been better to create a completely new separate story for part 2 and another for part 3.
Monday 9 November 2015
Mythica: A Quest for Heroes
Give it a chance, I thought. Partly funded by a kickstarter campaign and with a name that shouts "first of a series". This was always unlikely to be mind blowingly good.
But it is OK.
I enjoyed watching it.
There are plenty of holes that I could pick in it. The only one that I will really mention here is that the blurb says " starring Kevin Sorbo" when actually he's only in a couple of scenes near the beginning.
Apart from the misleading advertising then, the rest of the film makes good use of the resources it has available. There is limited CGI but what there is has a big impact.
The cast are OK. None of them are going to win an Oscar for this, but they haven't hobbled their careers either.
The script avoids the worst kinds of clichés and doesn't try to over explain the plot. If anything we are left in the dark a bit too much... More world building would have helped strengthen the series.
I believe there is a sequel made. And I might well watch it one day. But I don't think the basic story is original enough to hang a significant run of movies on.
Addicted
Sometimes when I am not really enjoying a film on DVD / Blu-ray I just fast forward through the rest to find out what happens.
I'm not sure what it says about Addicted that I didn't do that... I just abandoned it about half way in instead.
Of course, I know what happens through the power of Wikipedia.
I don't even really understand why I didn't enjoy the half of the film I watched. On paper it is the sort of thing I like.
Maybe I was just in the wrong mood.
Maybe the poor video quality didn't help. In places it looked like a rapidly converted TV format.
Everything felt a bit rubbish... Who knows?
If this is a favorite film of yours then let me know if you think I should give it another chance sometime.
Thursday 5 November 2015
Still Life
This is a lovely little film. And by little I just mean low budget, low key, not small in any patronising way.
It is quite complex, building up slowly. It took me a while to spot that whenever Eddie Marsan's character went out onto the street there was never anyone else in shot. So subtly we get to see how totally alone this man is.
He represents the safety net that society offers. Die alone and there will at least be one person who notices. We employ him to care so that we don't have to.
I wondered if he did the job because he had always been alone himself, or if he became more alone over time because of his job. I don't remember there being many clues to that.
Towards the end, when he is working on his last case, he clearly starts to live himself (again?). And the contrasts are portrayed beautifully.
Just when I thought we were heading for a happy ending there is a surprise. I guess I should have seen it coming (looking back there were plenty of hints) but I didn't.
I thought it wasn't fair at first, but it just had to end like that. It moved me to tears.
And it made me think, not just about people who have died alone, but people who are living alone right now. How can we fix that? Why do we find it so easy to not care about our neighbors any more?
Tuesday 3 November 2015
The Babadook
I wanted to like this, but didn't. The cast are good but the story isn't and the script isn't.
As things went on I just felt sorry for the poor single mother left to look after that bloody annoying child.
Jeez he was annoying. And just got more and more so. No wonder she went off the rails.
And so it wasn't scary, because I was just rattled by how annoying the boy was and how unfortunate his mother was to be stuck with him.
Leviathan
This is an award winning film about life in Russia. The cinematography is very good. The setting is bleak. The characters lead bleak lives.
I didn't enjoy watching it.
The Drop
I am a fan of Tom Hardy. I think he is a great actor. So I got this film because he is in it, despite the rather dull sounding summary.
There are other famous actors in it too. Apparently it was the late James Gandolfini's last role. And the rather lovely but hard to spell Noomi Rapace features too.
The story is quite good. Bob finds an injured dog in a trash can. I spent the rest of the film worrying that the dog would get hurt again by the previous evil owner.
Oh, and some people get beaten up and killed too.
SPOILERS
I'm not going to go over the whole plot. It is very clever though how everything seems to be going on around Bob with him helpless. And yet you always feel that he could do more if he wanted... Couldn't he?
Is he really going to give all that money to Deeds for the dog? No of course he isn't. What do you think the gun is for?
But then when Bob confesses to Deeds that he killed the man Deeds was notorious for killing... You don't even have time to take it in before Bob shoots Deeds.
Which captures Bob perfectly. He goes under the radar. Surprises everyone, including the viewer. He's got the drop on us.
So at the end you realise that the title isn't about the money, it's about Bob.
Saturday 31 October 2015
Rigor Mortis
I like Korean films, they are always a bit different. This one is a kind of zombie vampire ghost martial arts thriller...
Confusing? Yes it is. It probably didn't help that I drank half a bottle of wine before watching. Or maybe it helped a lot?
The film's plot is a bit baffling. There's an ex actor. Is it ever explained why he quit acting? Not that I noticed. But some of the dialog is a bit rapid for a subtitled movie... In places I just couldn't keep up.
There are ghosts and vampires. And some people who can help the ex actor to fight them.
Still confused? If not then wait for the end. Because I didn't understand that at all.
Which might make you think I didn't enjoy the film. But I did. The plot might be odd, but everything else is really good. The characters are great, and the action, and the effects.
It really should not work. And I wouldn't want to watch a movie like this every day. But this was a refreshing change from the run of the mill predictable fare that I so often end up watching.
Another great Korean movie.
Thursday 29 October 2015
Night Watch
There are several films called Night Watch. I am writing about the 1994 Danish movie directed by Ole Bornedal.
Nattevagten.
Even though there is an English remake by the same director I went with the original because it has good reviews.
I didn't like it though. The most interesting thing about it is that most of the young cast went on to find fame in great dramas like The Killing, The Bridge and Borgen.
There's nothing wrong with the acting but the plot is dull and predictable. There isn't much character development. There is little suspense. It isn't very scary.
It's really quite a poor film.
The Golden Dream
There are gritty dramas that make you think. And gritty dramas that shock you. And gritty dramas that are quite dull, or even boring.
The Golden Dream is all of those. I didn't imagine that children would try to migrate from Central America to the US alone. I was shocked by the way they were exploited by almost everyone they encountered on the way. And sadly I was quite bored by the way all these things are presented in this film.
Maybe the long periods where nothing happens are meant to heighten the shock of the shocking parts? That didn't seem necessary... rape, kidnap and murder are always going to be shocking in themselves.
The film just made me feel worse and worse as it went on. But because it dragged on so long, by the end, the very grim end, I just wanted it to be over.
Sigh.
Wednesday 28 October 2015
R100
I admit it. The main reason I chose to rent this movie was because I liked the cover art. Breaking one of my golden rules.
As usual I thought maybe this one might be different. Maybe it would be a quirky and sexy Japanese gem... a future cult classic?
But no. As usual, sexy cover art = bad film.
When will we ever learn. I guess never. Which is why people keep pulling the same old trick on us.
At least with R100 the sexy ladies on the cover do appear regularly in the film...
But it really is a bad film. It starts off weird - which isn't a problem for me - but then just gets stupid. At one point a child is tied up and suspended by a rope from the ceiling ... which I found unacceptable ... and it was totally irrelevant to whatever story was left at that point.
No. For me this was a film made by people who were trying too hard to be wacky... and maybe tying to court some controversy. It wasn't entertaining on any level.
0/10
Tuesday 16 June 2015
Testing 123
Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1 - the title is too long, and so is the film...
Big Hero 6 - fun film
Big Hero 6 - fun film
Monday 25 May 2015
Dracula Untold
SPOILERS
Oh dear. A new angle on the Dracula story... which is that Count Vlad was really a nice guy!
I guess this could have worked out but, for me, it didn't. Mainly because as well as making Vlad basically good, almost everyone else is bad. I think only Vlad's wife, his son and the odd monk aren't essentially wicked in one way or another. He has some decent pals at the beginning but they get killed off early by the thing in the cave.
That was clearly designed to serve as a contrast, but it is so stark that nothing is believable. Also, it is just not credible that Vlad should have such a terrible past and yet be relatively undamaged by it.
There are plenty of other things wrong with the film too... and a few things that are good. Unfortunately one of the best things about it is that it's only 90 mins long.
Oh dear. A new angle on the Dracula story... which is that Count Vlad was really a nice guy!
I guess this could have worked out but, for me, it didn't. Mainly because as well as making Vlad basically good, almost everyone else is bad. I think only Vlad's wife, his son and the odd monk aren't essentially wicked in one way or another. He has some decent pals at the beginning but they get killed off early by the thing in the cave.
That was clearly designed to serve as a contrast, but it is so stark that nothing is believable. Also, it is just not credible that Vlad should have such a terrible past and yet be relatively undamaged by it.
There are plenty of other things wrong with the film too... and a few things that are good. Unfortunately one of the best things about it is that it's only 90 mins long.
Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes
It's amazing how convincing the ape characters are in this film. You just take it as read that apes can be more intelligent than humans after a while.
But the story doesn't really do justice to the visual effects. Aside for the moralistic tint (some apes are good, some humans are good, some apes are bad, some humans are bad) there's not much to it.
But the story doesn't really do justice to the visual effects. Aside for the moralistic tint (some apes are good, some humans are good, some apes are bad, some humans are bad) there's not much to it.
Monday 18 May 2015
Disconnect
There are 3 films squashed together here. One looks at cyber-bullying, the second at identity theft and the final one at the sexual exploitation of young people. Two characters appear in more than one time-line, but only in minor capacities, so these are actually stand-alone stories being shown in parallel.
I think the overlapping characters don't add much to the stories. In fact, if anything, they detract from it by making the connections seem contrived...
Any one of the 3 stories could have made a decent film by itself. It is a shame that the writers didn't have the confidence to tell just one of them. By trying to tie them all together as somehow linked consequences of the internet age they fail to hit the mark with any of them.
For me the cyber-bullying story was the most compelling; the other two stories just started to feel like they were in the way after a while.
Plenty of potential in Disconnect. But it doesn't deliver.
I think the overlapping characters don't add much to the stories. In fact, if anything, they detract from it by making the connections seem contrived...
Any one of the 3 stories could have made a decent film by itself. It is a shame that the writers didn't have the confidence to tell just one of them. By trying to tie them all together as somehow linked consequences of the internet age they fail to hit the mark with any of them.
For me the cyber-bullying story was the most compelling; the other two stories just started to feel like they were in the way after a while.
Plenty of potential in Disconnect. But it doesn't deliver.
Sunday 17 May 2015
How To Train Your Dragon 2
I guess there's a joke in here somewhere... How To Train Your Dragon 2 Do What?
Poor? Yes, a bit like the film. There are so few sequels that live up to the original; and this is yet another one. Shame, because I did really like the original a lot. So this only had to be half as good as that to still be good... but it wasn't.
And yet several people recommended this. So what did they see that I didn't? Maybe I just expected too much. Maybe it was almost OK. Dunno; I just didn't enjoy it... found it a bit boring TBH.
Poor? Yes, a bit like the film. There are so few sequels that live up to the original; and this is yet another one. Shame, because I did really like the original a lot. So this only had to be half as good as that to still be good... but it wasn't.
And yet several people recommended this. So what did they see that I didn't? Maybe I just expected too much. Maybe it was almost OK. Dunno; I just didn't enjoy it... found it a bit boring TBH.
Thursday 14 May 2015
I'm Back
Hello again. OK, so I'm back. Turns out this is quite a good way to keep track of the films I have seen. Memory's not what it was... starting to forget.
So here's what I've seen recently. As best as I can recall...
Reconstruction - a bit odd but quite enjoyable.
Maleficent - better than I expected fairy tale.
Ender's Game - decent sci-fi story, more grown up than you'd think.
Violet & Daisy - excellent violet action, with a heart.
Hercules - not at all bad.
Calvary - great drama, starring Brendan Gleeson.
Deliver Us From Evil - don't remember much about this one.
Edge Of Tomorrow - fun romp with Cruise and Blunt.
As Above So Below - quite scary.
The Equaliser - good interpretation of the old TV series.
Sharknado 2 - very silly, lots of fun.
The Monuments Men - boring.
Lucy - awesome!
The Double - clever and thought provoking.
3 Days To Kill - predictable non-sense... OK if in right mood.
Bangkok Dangerous - the original, badass.
Lilting - lovely. Moving.
I Wish - can't remember; don't think I watched all the way through.
The Fault In Our Stars - moving and tragic. Better than I expected.
Dot The I - nice idea; didn't quite work... very dull in the middle.
So here's what I've seen recently. As best as I can recall...
Reconstruction - a bit odd but quite enjoyable.
Maleficent - better than I expected fairy tale.
Ender's Game - decent sci-fi story, more grown up than you'd think.
Violet & Daisy - excellent violet action, with a heart.
Hercules - not at all bad.
Calvary - great drama, starring Brendan Gleeson.
Deliver Us From Evil - don't remember much about this one.
Edge Of Tomorrow - fun romp with Cruise and Blunt.
As Above So Below - quite scary.
The Equaliser - good interpretation of the old TV series.
Sharknado 2 - very silly, lots of fun.
The Monuments Men - boring.
Lucy - awesome!
The Double - clever and thought provoking.
3 Days To Kill - predictable non-sense... OK if in right mood.
Bangkok Dangerous - the original, badass.
Lilting - lovely. Moving.
I Wish - can't remember; don't think I watched all the way through.
The Fault In Our Stars - moving and tragic. Better than I expected.
Dot The I - nice idea; didn't quite work... very dull in the middle.
Tuesday 10 February 2015
Her
I have seen Spike Jonze's film Her described as a romantic comedy. But I didn't see it that way at all. I thought it was a good, serious, look at human relationships in a future where people communicate primarily via machines. After all isn't that where we are heading; with so many people glued to their smartphones all the time?
It was really well done. The setting is believably futuristic, without being obviously too sci-fi. The characters are complex and likeable. The plot evolves and we get to an acceptable conclusion.
Nice. Good film. I recommend it. (It's not a rom-com, guys)
And it set me thinking. What am I doing with my life, if not trying to communicate more and more via machines? And who am I communicating with? Nobody. Nobody, that I know at least.
I write this blog, post on twitter, comment on forums... I pretend that other people are reading what I write, but they aren't. Is anyone on the web reading other people's stuff? I don't think so.
It's like being in a world where everyone has their own radio station. We're all broadcasting, congratulating ourselves on being part of a great revolution that has democratised content creation. But no-one is listening to us, just as we aren't really listening to anyone else.
So I have made a decision. I am stopping this. Right now. I'm turning the computer off and going out to meet real people. From now on I'm going to talk to people face-to-face whenever I can. I'm going to do voluntary work. I'm going back to the real world. Goodbye.
It was really well done. The setting is believably futuristic, without being obviously too sci-fi. The characters are complex and likeable. The plot evolves and we get to an acceptable conclusion.
Nice. Good film. I recommend it. (It's not a rom-com, guys)
And it set me thinking. What am I doing with my life, if not trying to communicate more and more via machines? And who am I communicating with? Nobody. Nobody, that I know at least.
I write this blog, post on twitter, comment on forums... I pretend that other people are reading what I write, but they aren't. Is anyone on the web reading other people's stuff? I don't think so.
It's like being in a world where everyone has their own radio station. We're all broadcasting, congratulating ourselves on being part of a great revolution that has democratised content creation. But no-one is listening to us, just as we aren't really listening to anyone else.
So I have made a decision. I am stopping this. Right now. I'm turning the computer off and going out to meet real people. From now on I'm going to talk to people face-to-face whenever I can. I'm going to do voluntary work. I'm going back to the real world. Goodbye.
Monday 2 February 2015
Evil Dead
If there's one thing I tend to avoid more than sequels it's a remake. Although I sometimes go for a reboot. But, not knowing if Evil Dead (2013) was a reboot or a remake of The Evil Dead (1981), I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt.
Having seen it I'm still not sure if it's a remake or a reboot. But it's quite a good film.
There are quite a few plot differences between the two films. Although the basic premise is the same. An evil force, a shack in the middle of nowhere, people getting killed.
What else is there to know? It's all done rather well. Quite scary. Towards the gory end of the spectrum, which isn't something I enjoy, but not too extreme.
Having seen it I'm still not sure if it's a remake or a reboot. But it's quite a good film.
There are quite a few plot differences between the two films. Although the basic premise is the same. An evil force, a shack in the middle of nowhere, people getting killed.
What else is there to know? It's all done rather well. Quite scary. Towards the gory end of the spectrum, which isn't something I enjoy, but not too extreme.
Sunday 1 February 2015
Sin City 2 - A Dame To Kill For
I watched Sin City 2 as a double bill, following on from the first film. That probably inclined me to be a bit more critical of the sequel than I might have been if it had been longer since I watched the original. Because, all things considered, Sin City 2 just isn't as good as Sin City.
It seems more fragmented, with less pulling the pieces together. And the episodes themselves are all a bit less compelling than before. Because of the overlapping timelines with the first film, this feels more like a collection of out-takes than another instalment.
But, lets not forget that Sin City was a brilliant film. It was a big ask to expect the sequel to match it, and it doesn't, but it is still worth watching.
It seems more fragmented, with less pulling the pieces together. And the episodes themselves are all a bit less compelling than before. Because of the overlapping timelines with the first film, this feels more like a collection of out-takes than another instalment.
But, lets not forget that Sin City was a brilliant film. It was a big ask to expect the sequel to match it, and it doesn't, but it is still worth watching.
Thursday 29 January 2015
Ex Machina
SPOILERS
From the outset Ex Machina is clearly a stylish, modern, film. It begins with computer programmer Caleb winning some sort of competition at work and being flown off to his boss's private facility... which seems to be in Norway and takes more than 2 hours to fly over in a helicopter... wow, that's big.
Clearly the boss, Nathan, has something to hide because the helicopter can't go near the house and Caleb has to walk the last stretch along the river and through the woods.
When he arrives an automated system, which knows his name, takes his picture and prints him a key card for opening the door. This seems a bit silly; if it recognises him with enough confidence to give him a key, then why not just open the door for him... who needs a key? [the plot, it turns out later]
Caleb wanders in and eventually finds Nathan pummelling a punch-bag. Nice boss, he knows you are coming, knows you have arrived and can't be arsed to greet you. This, it turns out, is the least of Nathan's character flaws.
Nathan's house looks like a prison that's been designed by Ikea. And in a sense that's exactly what it is... except the furniture is probably more expensive than that because I think Nathan is supposed to be the richest man in the world, or thereabouts.
I found Nathan quite sinister from the start. He says he wants to be Caleb's friend, but clearly he's the boss. He seems to drink constantly, exercise obsessively and treat his house-keeper Kyoko pretty badly.
Anyway, we soon get down to business. Caleb is here to test Nathan's AI robot, Ava, for a week to see if she is truly intelligent. And everyone seems quite excited about that. Ava less so, perhaps.
Caleb questions Ava's appearance as a sexy robot, thinking he is being deliberately distracted. Nathan reassures him that everything is as it seems, but shows sparks of anger at Caleb when challenged on some points.
There are a few thinly disguised digs at Google from Nathan when he describes some of his technology to Caleb. Other people were too busy trying to monetise search to do it properly, he says. So how did he become the world's richest man then?
Ava and Caleb's interview sessions are shown. They are a bit disappointing, to be honest. I don't know what I expected but there seemed to be something missing in these scenes. It gets more confusing when Caleb realises that he clearly wasn't chosen at random by Nathan, and Nathan admits that he was specially selected as the best programmer in the company.
Things get a bit creepy as you slowly realise that Nathan's housekeeper is probably also a robot and that Nathan is having sex with her. In fact he seems more obsessed with human-robot sexuality than intelligence. The more the film goes on the more unhinged Nathan seems.
It turns out than Ava can trigger temporary power cuts in the house/prison and uses these opportunities to warn Caleb that he shouldn't trust Nathan. Somehow you know that even though Nathan supposedly can't hear these little chats, he probably can. But what you don't know is whether Ava really believes Nathan can hear or not.
Clearly Caleb believes that Ava is intelligent and he also feels some affection for her. Maybe more than that. He is certainly troubled when he learns from Nathan that Ava will probably be upgraded to form the basis of a new model, losing her memories and thus current self in the process.
This is where the key-cards come in. Caleb gets Nathan drunk, which isn't hard, and steals his card... allowing him to get into Nathan's private rooms and see video of previous AI models. Nathan hasn't treated them very well at all... nasty man. Caleb also has complete access to all the security software and immediately knows how to write some code to modify it! Yeah, right.
Caleb tries to get Nathan drunk again so that he can help Ava escape. But Nathan isn't drinking anything but water today...
Then we get the big reveal. This is quite clever. It turns out that Nathan knew Caleb has going to help Ava escape because that was the real test; to see if Ava could trick Caleb into loving her enough to free her.
Caleb wasn't chosen because he was the best programmer, but because he was single and lonely. Ava was even designed to match the type of girl he searches for on the internet.
At this point Caleb is looking pretty dejected and Nathan is Mr Smug. But when the escape plan begins with a power-cut Caleb calmly explains that he always assumed Nathan was listening in somehow during the previous power-cuts so he enacted his part of the plan already. Nathan's smugness evaporates, Ava is out.
The conclusion of the film is a bit clunky. There is a brief fight between Ava and Nathan which Nathan is winning until he's stabbed in the back (literally) by Kyoko, then finished off by Ava. Ava then locks Caleb in his room and gets herself some more skin (*) so she can pass for human, before leaving the complex and catching the helicopter which has arrived to take Caleb home.
Curiously the helicopter pilot doesn't seem to question the fact that his passenger has changed gender.
(* on the skin: it's not clear how far in the future we are here, but making a robot with realistic skin, eyes, hair, hands and feet seems to be almost as big an achievement as making one that is intelligent. Oddly this isn't really commented on)
I think the ending would have been more dramatic if the film had just finished with Ava leaving the complex with Nathan dead and Caleb locked in. The last few minutes didn't add anything, because we already knew what Ava was going to do (go to the traffic intersection).
The twists at the end explain some of the odd behaviour of the characters throughout the film. So I think overall Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac and Alicia Vikander do a great job. Unfortunately, at the time you are watching the film the middle part is a bit irritating... I'd go as far as to say that I got bored in the middle.
That makes it quite hard to rate this film. I'd say I mostly enjoyed it. But I think that the earlier British AI movie The Machine was more fun, despite its much lower budget.
From the outset Ex Machina is clearly a stylish, modern, film. It begins with computer programmer Caleb winning some sort of competition at work and being flown off to his boss's private facility... which seems to be in Norway and takes more than 2 hours to fly over in a helicopter... wow, that's big.
Clearly the boss, Nathan, has something to hide because the helicopter can't go near the house and Caleb has to walk the last stretch along the river and through the woods.
When he arrives an automated system, which knows his name, takes his picture and prints him a key card for opening the door. This seems a bit silly; if it recognises him with enough confidence to give him a key, then why not just open the door for him... who needs a key? [the plot, it turns out later]
Caleb wanders in and eventually finds Nathan pummelling a punch-bag. Nice boss, he knows you are coming, knows you have arrived and can't be arsed to greet you. This, it turns out, is the least of Nathan's character flaws.
Nathan's house looks like a prison that's been designed by Ikea. And in a sense that's exactly what it is... except the furniture is probably more expensive than that because I think Nathan is supposed to be the richest man in the world, or thereabouts.
I found Nathan quite sinister from the start. He says he wants to be Caleb's friend, but clearly he's the boss. He seems to drink constantly, exercise obsessively and treat his house-keeper Kyoko pretty badly.
Anyway, we soon get down to business. Caleb is here to test Nathan's AI robot, Ava, for a week to see if she is truly intelligent. And everyone seems quite excited about that. Ava less so, perhaps.
Caleb questions Ava's appearance as a sexy robot, thinking he is being deliberately distracted. Nathan reassures him that everything is as it seems, but shows sparks of anger at Caleb when challenged on some points.
There are a few thinly disguised digs at Google from Nathan when he describes some of his technology to Caleb. Other people were too busy trying to monetise search to do it properly, he says. So how did he become the world's richest man then?
Ava and Caleb's interview sessions are shown. They are a bit disappointing, to be honest. I don't know what I expected but there seemed to be something missing in these scenes. It gets more confusing when Caleb realises that he clearly wasn't chosen at random by Nathan, and Nathan admits that he was specially selected as the best programmer in the company.
Things get a bit creepy as you slowly realise that Nathan's housekeeper is probably also a robot and that Nathan is having sex with her. In fact he seems more obsessed with human-robot sexuality than intelligence. The more the film goes on the more unhinged Nathan seems.
It turns out than Ava can trigger temporary power cuts in the house/prison and uses these opportunities to warn Caleb that he shouldn't trust Nathan. Somehow you know that even though Nathan supposedly can't hear these little chats, he probably can. But what you don't know is whether Ava really believes Nathan can hear or not.
Clearly Caleb believes that Ava is intelligent and he also feels some affection for her. Maybe more than that. He is certainly troubled when he learns from Nathan that Ava will probably be upgraded to form the basis of a new model, losing her memories and thus current self in the process.
This is where the key-cards come in. Caleb gets Nathan drunk, which isn't hard, and steals his card... allowing him to get into Nathan's private rooms and see video of previous AI models. Nathan hasn't treated them very well at all... nasty man. Caleb also has complete access to all the security software and immediately knows how to write some code to modify it! Yeah, right.
Caleb tries to get Nathan drunk again so that he can help Ava escape. But Nathan isn't drinking anything but water today...
Then we get the big reveal. This is quite clever. It turns out that Nathan knew Caleb has going to help Ava escape because that was the real test; to see if Ava could trick Caleb into loving her enough to free her.
Caleb wasn't chosen because he was the best programmer, but because he was single and lonely. Ava was even designed to match the type of girl he searches for on the internet.
At this point Caleb is looking pretty dejected and Nathan is Mr Smug. But when the escape plan begins with a power-cut Caleb calmly explains that he always assumed Nathan was listening in somehow during the previous power-cuts so he enacted his part of the plan already. Nathan's smugness evaporates, Ava is out.
The conclusion of the film is a bit clunky. There is a brief fight between Ava and Nathan which Nathan is winning until he's stabbed in the back (literally) by Kyoko, then finished off by Ava. Ava then locks Caleb in his room and gets herself some more skin (*) so she can pass for human, before leaving the complex and catching the helicopter which has arrived to take Caleb home.
Curiously the helicopter pilot doesn't seem to question the fact that his passenger has changed gender.
(* on the skin: it's not clear how far in the future we are here, but making a robot with realistic skin, eyes, hair, hands and feet seems to be almost as big an achievement as making one that is intelligent. Oddly this isn't really commented on)
I think the ending would have been more dramatic if the film had just finished with Ava leaving the complex with Nathan dead and Caleb locked in. The last few minutes didn't add anything, because we already knew what Ava was going to do (go to the traffic intersection).
The twists at the end explain some of the odd behaviour of the characters throughout the film. So I think overall Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac and Alicia Vikander do a great job. Unfortunately, at the time you are watching the film the middle part is a bit irritating... I'd go as far as to say that I got bored in the middle.
That makes it quite hard to rate this film. I'd say I mostly enjoyed it. But I think that the earlier British AI movie The Machine was more fun, despite its much lower budget.
Tuesday 27 January 2015
Dallas Buyers Club
I find myself a bit ambivalent about Dallas Buyers Club. It was OK, I quite enjoyed it, but nothing amazing. Apart from the fact that Matthew McConaughey lost 50 pounds to play the lead role and really does look like death warmed up. Apparently Jared Leto also lost 30 pounds to play the supporting role of Rayon. And it's a mostly true story.
Since I grew up in the 1980's when the film is set, I remember all the misinformation about HIV/AIDS and all the educational campaigns at the time which were trying to raise awareness. For anyone younger I think this is a really good illustration of that time. A time when a lot of people gradually realised that HIV/AIDS wasn't just someone else's problem.
SPOILERS
The story is quite simple: Texan macho-man Ron Woodroof contracts HIV from a prostitute who also serviced intravenous drug users. He develops full-blown AIDS without realising it and does nothing about his deteriorating health until he nearly drops dead. In hospital he is told the truth and given 30 days to live. He refuses to believe that he has HIV since it is a "faggot's disease".
Eventually Woodroof has to accept the truth, but he is ostracised by his friends and co-workers who are just as ignorant and homophobic as he is. In desperation he bribes a hospital orderly to steal an experimental drug called AZT for him.
But he doesn't know the proper dose, mixes the drug with cocaine and alcohol and almost poisons himself. The hospital tell him that AZT can be toxic in high doses but he is still desperate and travels to Mexico to buy more from a doctor there.
The doctor doesn't sell him AZT, telling him that he thinks it is dangerous. He shows Ron several alternatives based on vitamins and other non-toxic proteins... which seem to help Ron and his health gradually improves.
Now the film becomes a bit episodic with several "3 months later" ... "6 months later" ... jumps. Basically, Ron imports the remedies into the US saying they are for personal use, then tries to sell them. He gets busted by the FDA and then we start again.
The most interesting part of the latter end of the film is how Ron changes his attitude to homosexuals in the light of his experiences. That is truly interesting and shows how prejudice is born only of ignorance.
I didn't find the to-ing and fro-ing with the FDA all that interesting. There were some good characters and some enlightening scenes though.
The title Dallas Buys Club comes from a legal loophole that Ron Woodroof employed. He couldn't sell the substances that he imported, but it was legal for him to give them away to members of his club, for which there was a $400 per month membership fee. Sounds silly, but that's the law for you.
Incredibly Ron Woodroof outlived that 30 day prognosis by 7 years.
Since I grew up in the 1980's when the film is set, I remember all the misinformation about HIV/AIDS and all the educational campaigns at the time which were trying to raise awareness. For anyone younger I think this is a really good illustration of that time. A time when a lot of people gradually realised that HIV/AIDS wasn't just someone else's problem.
SPOILERS
The story is quite simple: Texan macho-man Ron Woodroof contracts HIV from a prostitute who also serviced intravenous drug users. He develops full-blown AIDS without realising it and does nothing about his deteriorating health until he nearly drops dead. In hospital he is told the truth and given 30 days to live. He refuses to believe that he has HIV since it is a "faggot's disease".
Eventually Woodroof has to accept the truth, but he is ostracised by his friends and co-workers who are just as ignorant and homophobic as he is. In desperation he bribes a hospital orderly to steal an experimental drug called AZT for him.
But he doesn't know the proper dose, mixes the drug with cocaine and alcohol and almost poisons himself. The hospital tell him that AZT can be toxic in high doses but he is still desperate and travels to Mexico to buy more from a doctor there.
The doctor doesn't sell him AZT, telling him that he thinks it is dangerous. He shows Ron several alternatives based on vitamins and other non-toxic proteins... which seem to help Ron and his health gradually improves.
Now the film becomes a bit episodic with several "3 months later" ... "6 months later" ... jumps. Basically, Ron imports the remedies into the US saying they are for personal use, then tries to sell them. He gets busted by the FDA and then we start again.
The most interesting part of the latter end of the film is how Ron changes his attitude to homosexuals in the light of his experiences. That is truly interesting and shows how prejudice is born only of ignorance.
I didn't find the to-ing and fro-ing with the FDA all that interesting. There were some good characters and some enlightening scenes though.
The title Dallas Buys Club comes from a legal loophole that Ron Woodroof employed. He couldn't sell the substances that he imported, but it was legal for him to give them away to members of his club, for which there was a $400 per month membership fee. Sounds silly, but that's the law for you.
Incredibly Ron Woodroof outlived that 30 day prognosis by 7 years.
Saturday 24 January 2015
Hybrid
Recommendations for movies come from all over the place. Often by the time I actually get around to watching a film I can't remember who said it was good... or if I just added it to my list on impulse for some other reason.
So, chances are, no-one ever said that Hybrid was good. Because it isn't.
And actually, it isn't really a movie. It is a television film. Which is soon pretty clear when you notice all the terrible cuts which are there solely for the placement of frequent ad breaks.
And worse, it watches like a pilot for a series... that presumably never happened.
It has 2 redeeming features:
1) The basic idea is quite interesting.
2) It falls into that narrow gap somewhere between good and unwatchable, where the acting and staging and plot is soooooo bad that it becomes quite funny.
I particularly like the Toy Weapons And Tactics (TWAT) team who couldn't creep up on a blind and deaf person without them noticing... and couldn't hit the side of a barn with a shotgun (from the inside).
And at least it is quite short at about 80 minutes.
Quite a giggle for a once-in-a-while experience, but I really don't understand why some people subscribe to TV channels that are filled with this tosh.
So, chances are, no-one ever said that Hybrid was good. Because it isn't.
And actually, it isn't really a movie. It is a television film. Which is soon pretty clear when you notice all the terrible cuts which are there solely for the placement of frequent ad breaks.
And worse, it watches like a pilot for a series... that presumably never happened.
It has 2 redeeming features:
1) The basic idea is quite interesting.
2) It falls into that narrow gap somewhere between good and unwatchable, where the acting and staging and plot is soooooo bad that it becomes quite funny.
I particularly like the Toy Weapons And Tactics (TWAT) team who couldn't creep up on a blind and deaf person without them noticing... and couldn't hit the side of a barn with a shotgun (from the inside).
And at least it is quite short at about 80 minutes.
Quite a giggle for a once-in-a-while experience, but I really don't understand why some people subscribe to TV channels that are filled with this tosh.
Friday 23 January 2015
Killing Them Softly
Didn't really get into this. It failed the 2048 test...
SPOILERS
For a while I wondered if Brad Pitt was playing the same role here as in Fight Club. He just seemed too perfect, compared to all the other characters, to be real. That and the fact that he always kills at a distance, taking the victim by surprise.
But there's no surprise at the end. The whole film is just a cynical dig at American greed. It's all a set-up for Brad's punchline: "America's not a country, it's a business. Now pay me!"
I was going to leave that as the punchline for my post too. But didn't. This is the kind of film that really annoys me. There's a decent story here that could have been told well... if the director hadn't been too eager to show off his fancy kill scenes and Brad Pitt didn't have to be the only character to not look like he'd either been dressed by his mother, or slept in a dumpster for a week.
SPOILERS
For a while I wondered if Brad Pitt was playing the same role here as in Fight Club. He just seemed too perfect, compared to all the other characters, to be real. That and the fact that he always kills at a distance, taking the victim by surprise.
But there's no surprise at the end. The whole film is just a cynical dig at American greed. It's all a set-up for Brad's punchline: "America's not a country, it's a business. Now pay me!"
I was going to leave that as the punchline for my post too. But didn't. This is the kind of film that really annoys me. There's a decent story here that could have been told well... if the director hadn't been too eager to show off his fancy kill scenes and Brad Pitt didn't have to be the only character to not look like he'd either been dressed by his mother, or slept in a dumpster for a week.
Thursday 22 January 2015
The Theory of Everything
I have seen a few documentaries and dramas about Stephen Hawking, and even managed to finish his book A Brief History of Time. And obviously he is the most famous living scientist... so we already know quite a lot about him before seeing The Theory of Everything.
What makes this film different though is that it is based on the memoirs of his first wife Jane, played by Felicity Jones. Quite noticeably it focusses on the Hawking family and how they coped with Stephen's illness. The scientific bits are pretty minimal.
That works well for me. It's not like you are going to get much insight into general relativity and quantum theory from a feature film...
...and the process of endlessly thinking about a unifying theory, working through the maths painfully slowly with colleagues, wouldn't be much of a watch either.
Somehow though I felt we were getting a rose tinted picture of Stephen Hawking. A brilliant man cruelly struck down by motor neuron disease. Battling on. We didn't see him get frustrated and angry apart from just after the diagnosis... until Jane sorted him out.
Don't get me wrong, I'm sure life was very hard for Jane looking after Stephen, a home and 3 children. But I think it would have been better to see a few rows and tantrums too... since I find it hard to believe there weren't any.
Of course you can pick holes in the film's historical accuracy as much as you like. This is a drama and it works up to a point. Eddie Redmayne carries off the lead role very well, and I'm sure he'll be a strong challenger for the Oscar. There's nothing wrong with any of the characters, really. The film is beautifully shot... etc, etc.
But, for all I did like about it, ultimately this feels like a fairy story. Jane is just too damned nice. Stephen is a saint and a genius. Even when he leaves Jane it is hinted at rather than confronted. And in the end they make friends and visit the Queen.
Screenplay by Jane Austen, or one of the Brontes?
Dare I say it... maybe more of a film for the ladies. [ducks]
What makes this film different though is that it is based on the memoirs of his first wife Jane, played by Felicity Jones. Quite noticeably it focusses on the Hawking family and how they coped with Stephen's illness. The scientific bits are pretty minimal.
That works well for me. It's not like you are going to get much insight into general relativity and quantum theory from a feature film...
...and the process of endlessly thinking about a unifying theory, working through the maths painfully slowly with colleagues, wouldn't be much of a watch either.
Somehow though I felt we were getting a rose tinted picture of Stephen Hawking. A brilliant man cruelly struck down by motor neuron disease. Battling on. We didn't see him get frustrated and angry apart from just after the diagnosis... until Jane sorted him out.
Don't get me wrong, I'm sure life was very hard for Jane looking after Stephen, a home and 3 children. But I think it would have been better to see a few rows and tantrums too... since I find it hard to believe there weren't any.
Of course you can pick holes in the film's historical accuracy as much as you like. This is a drama and it works up to a point. Eddie Redmayne carries off the lead role very well, and I'm sure he'll be a strong challenger for the Oscar. There's nothing wrong with any of the characters, really. The film is beautifully shot... etc, etc.
But, for all I did like about it, ultimately this feels like a fairy story. Jane is just too damned nice. Stephen is a saint and a genius. Even when he leaves Jane it is hinted at rather than confronted. And in the end they make friends and visit the Queen.
Screenplay by Jane Austen, or one of the Brontes?
Dare I say it... maybe more of a film for the ladies. [ducks]
Sunday 18 January 2015
R: Hit First, Hit Hardest
I knew this was about a guy sent to prison in Denmark. From the title I assumed that maybe he was a hard man who survived by hitting first and hardest. That is completely wrong.
The film is actually a portrayal of the violent nightmare that the main character Rune finds himself in inside. He is hard in the outside world, but in this prison "the other guys are twice your size" and he has to cope with that.
As Rune tries to just survive you don't ever really feel sympathy for him, but thank your lucky stars that you've never had to endure problems like these [I assume. If not then do you think the film was realistic?]
Life for the inmates is brutal throughout... so don't expect much of a happy ending.
SPOILERS
Rune arrives at Horsens prison after being convicted of a violent crime. The guards warn him that the other inmates are bigger, and tougher, and are expecting him.
Given the title of the film I expected Rune to lay someone out in the first 5 minutes to show the other inmates that he isn't scared. But he doesn't. You don't know if he is scared or not, because he hides it well if he is. Instead it looks like his plan is to keep his head down and just try to get through his 2 year sentence.
There are a few interesting Danishisms throughout the film. For one, everyone refers to their cell as their "house"... which I found kind of odd.
In the exercise yard Rune is attacked by an inmate who says the guy Rune stabbed outside was his friend. To make them even, Rune must attack another inmate known as The Albanian. Rune is reluctant, but clearly he wont last long on his ward if he doesn't comply and get in with the gang.
Rune does as he is told and attacks The Albanian. This is horrible and brutal. Cleverly it shows us that Rune is capable of anything and probably doesn't deserve our sympathy. That sets the tone nicely for the film: I found myself interested in Rune's plight, rather than rooting for him. We are not asked to like him, merely to try and understand why he does what he does.
For a while Rune is accepted by the gang and life is easier. He makes friends with a Moslem man called Rashid, which is frowned on by his ward but accepted when Rune figures out a way to transport drugs from his ward to Rashid's.
This bit confused me. I must have missed the part where they explained why he couldn't just give the drugs to Rashid in the kitchen... since Rashid gave him the money for the drugs there. Never mind. The point is that Rune and Rashid gain some standing by setting up this mechanism.
And then it goes horribly wrong. Rune and Rashid get a bit over confident. Rashid's ward leader finds out that Rune is involved and forces him to deliver a bigger shipment than usual. Then he doesn't pay him.
This part of the film is pivotal. Rune has done everything he can to fit in with the gang on his ward, but when he gets shafted by Rashid's boss they just lay all the blame on him. As one guy repeatedly says "There is no 'us'."
You start to feel Rune's terror as, despite his best efforts, he finds himself in deep shit with the hard men on his ward. Even worse, The Albanian has now recovered and is back.
Rune confronts Rashid who surprisingly says that everything is OK and he can explain what to do. He leads Rune to a storeroom but then locks him in and goes to do the washing up, noisily so no-one can hear Rune in the storeroom.
I thought that the room was one of those refrigerated ones and Rune was being punished by being locked in for a while... but when Rashid opens the door after a few minutes two men step out and hurry away. Rashid goes in and sees Rune bloody on the floor. He tries to wake him but is shocked to find that he is dead.
This is extremely shocking. I didn't expect it at all. It immediately slaps down any hopes you might have had for an even remotely happy ending. Any pretence that there is somehow some honour amongst thieves is also dispelled. The guys ruling this prison are evil and self-serving... that's all.
Since Rashid was working next to the room where Rune was killed he is questioned by the guards. He says nothing, but the killers threaten him with Hot Coffee if he talks - a punishment where sugar is melted in hot oil until it is black and thrown at the victim.
The film ends with Rashid preparing himself for death; then informing the guards about who killed Rune, before being beaten and subjected to Hot Coffee.
So both "R" characters, Rune and Rashid, come to a bad end. I've seen this film described as "gritty", but I think that is a bit of an understatement. It is brutal and uncompromising. I wont say I found it entertaining, but it was extremely engaging. The directors, Thomas Lindholm and Michael Noer, get the balance right between hope and despair. There's a very strong message for hard men that prison might be too tough, even for them.
The film is actually a portrayal of the violent nightmare that the main character Rune finds himself in inside. He is hard in the outside world, but in this prison "the other guys are twice your size" and he has to cope with that.
As Rune tries to just survive you don't ever really feel sympathy for him, but thank your lucky stars that you've never had to endure problems like these [I assume. If not then do you think the film was realistic?]
Life for the inmates is brutal throughout... so don't expect much of a happy ending.
SPOILERS
Rune arrives at Horsens prison after being convicted of a violent crime. The guards warn him that the other inmates are bigger, and tougher, and are expecting him.
Given the title of the film I expected Rune to lay someone out in the first 5 minutes to show the other inmates that he isn't scared. But he doesn't. You don't know if he is scared or not, because he hides it well if he is. Instead it looks like his plan is to keep his head down and just try to get through his 2 year sentence.
There are a few interesting Danishisms throughout the film. For one, everyone refers to their cell as their "house"... which I found kind of odd.
In the exercise yard Rune is attacked by an inmate who says the guy Rune stabbed outside was his friend. To make them even, Rune must attack another inmate known as The Albanian. Rune is reluctant, but clearly he wont last long on his ward if he doesn't comply and get in with the gang.
Rune does as he is told and attacks The Albanian. This is horrible and brutal. Cleverly it shows us that Rune is capable of anything and probably doesn't deserve our sympathy. That sets the tone nicely for the film: I found myself interested in Rune's plight, rather than rooting for him. We are not asked to like him, merely to try and understand why he does what he does.
For a while Rune is accepted by the gang and life is easier. He makes friends with a Moslem man called Rashid, which is frowned on by his ward but accepted when Rune figures out a way to transport drugs from his ward to Rashid's.
This bit confused me. I must have missed the part where they explained why he couldn't just give the drugs to Rashid in the kitchen... since Rashid gave him the money for the drugs there. Never mind. The point is that Rune and Rashid gain some standing by setting up this mechanism.
And then it goes horribly wrong. Rune and Rashid get a bit over confident. Rashid's ward leader finds out that Rune is involved and forces him to deliver a bigger shipment than usual. Then he doesn't pay him.
This part of the film is pivotal. Rune has done everything he can to fit in with the gang on his ward, but when he gets shafted by Rashid's boss they just lay all the blame on him. As one guy repeatedly says "There is no 'us'."
You start to feel Rune's terror as, despite his best efforts, he finds himself in deep shit with the hard men on his ward. Even worse, The Albanian has now recovered and is back.
Rune confronts Rashid who surprisingly says that everything is OK and he can explain what to do. He leads Rune to a storeroom but then locks him in and goes to do the washing up, noisily so no-one can hear Rune in the storeroom.
I thought that the room was one of those refrigerated ones and Rune was being punished by being locked in for a while... but when Rashid opens the door after a few minutes two men step out and hurry away. Rashid goes in and sees Rune bloody on the floor. He tries to wake him but is shocked to find that he is dead.
This is extremely shocking. I didn't expect it at all. It immediately slaps down any hopes you might have had for an even remotely happy ending. Any pretence that there is somehow some honour amongst thieves is also dispelled. The guys ruling this prison are evil and self-serving... that's all.
Since Rashid was working next to the room where Rune was killed he is questioned by the guards. He says nothing, but the killers threaten him with Hot Coffee if he talks - a punishment where sugar is melted in hot oil until it is black and thrown at the victim.
The film ends with Rashid preparing himself for death; then informing the guards about who killed Rune, before being beaten and subjected to Hot Coffee.
So both "R" characters, Rune and Rashid, come to a bad end. I've seen this film described as "gritty", but I think that is a bit of an understatement. It is brutal and uncompromising. I wont say I found it entertaining, but it was extremely engaging. The directors, Thomas Lindholm and Michael Noer, get the balance right between hope and despair. There's a very strong message for hard men that prison might be too tough, even for them.
Saturday 17 January 2015
Transformers : Age of Extinction
The fourth Transformers film has a completely new human cast, but sticks to exactly the same formula. We have a nerdy man (Mark Wahlberg as Cade) who wants to be a hero, one very pretty girl (Nicola Peltz as Tessa) who doesn't do much, and a bag of other people who are more or less useless as the story dictates.
I thought the last film was too long... and this one is even longer, at 165 minutes! That's about an hour too long for a film of this kind. I'd had enough way before the end, and the climax wasn't nearly good enough to make you forget all the padding that you'd had to sit through.
Even so, it is still quite entertaining because Transformers are cool. I wonder how much further the franchise can go though. They need to cut out a lot of the fat and work on the story a bit... otherwise even the fans will give up.
SPOILERS
There's not a lot to spoil here because you know most of the plot before the film starts: some Transformers want to do something that will put the Earth in peril, some humans are helping them because they are greedy / stupid / think there is no alternative, our heroes want to help Optimus Prime to stop the bad Transformers but are hindered by a lack of belief from all other humans... and the heroes win.
Far too much of the film is spent on the new human characters. And even then the characters end up woefully underdeveloped. Mark Wahlberg is a decent actor, but totally unbelievable as a nerdy inventor. Even less so as a single father to the angelic 17-year-old Tessa, who unsurprisingly turns out to have a secret boyfriend despite her father's ban on dating. The boyfriend also unsurpriingly turns out to be a nice guy... although Jack Reynor's attempt at an Irish accent is absolutely criminal.
Instead of a decent plot and a building of suspense, we get confusion about what the hell is going on. Even by the end you don't get much information on who Lockdown is, who or where are The Creators and where did the Dinobots come from?
In fact I spent most of the film just waiting for the Dinobots to appear (having seen them in the trailer). It was very disappointing how they were just thrown in at the end to make a lacklustre finale a bit more interesting.
Why did Optimus have to have that short fight with the (leader?) Dinobot? That didn't make any sense at all. Also, why didn't Galvatron / Megatron join in the battle at the end? He was supposedly a superior Transformer, but just left everything up to the pawns.
Too many loose ends. And too many stupid liberties: for example, Optimus Prime is pinned to a wall by a sword that has to be pulled out by a truck... but then at the end he jets into space on his rockets! I think the force needed to get into space is a bit more that the truck used to extract the sword.
Come on. I'm not asking for a clever story. I like Transformers. I don't need much. But I need something. If the makers can't do a decent story then just give us the robots in disguise doing cool stuff and keep it a lot shorter next time.
I thought the last film was too long... and this one is even longer, at 165 minutes! That's about an hour too long for a film of this kind. I'd had enough way before the end, and the climax wasn't nearly good enough to make you forget all the padding that you'd had to sit through.
Even so, it is still quite entertaining because Transformers are cool. I wonder how much further the franchise can go though. They need to cut out a lot of the fat and work on the story a bit... otherwise even the fans will give up.
SPOILERS
There's not a lot to spoil here because you know most of the plot before the film starts: some Transformers want to do something that will put the Earth in peril, some humans are helping them because they are greedy / stupid / think there is no alternative, our heroes want to help Optimus Prime to stop the bad Transformers but are hindered by a lack of belief from all other humans... and the heroes win.
Far too much of the film is spent on the new human characters. And even then the characters end up woefully underdeveloped. Mark Wahlberg is a decent actor, but totally unbelievable as a nerdy inventor. Even less so as a single father to the angelic 17-year-old Tessa, who unsurprisingly turns out to have a secret boyfriend despite her father's ban on dating. The boyfriend also unsurpriingly turns out to be a nice guy... although Jack Reynor's attempt at an Irish accent is absolutely criminal.
Instead of a decent plot and a building of suspense, we get confusion about what the hell is going on. Even by the end you don't get much information on who Lockdown is, who or where are The Creators and where did the Dinobots come from?
In fact I spent most of the film just waiting for the Dinobots to appear (having seen them in the trailer). It was very disappointing how they were just thrown in at the end to make a lacklustre finale a bit more interesting.
Why did Optimus have to have that short fight with the (leader?) Dinobot? That didn't make any sense at all. Also, why didn't Galvatron / Megatron join in the battle at the end? He was supposedly a superior Transformer, but just left everything up to the pawns.
Too many loose ends. And too many stupid liberties: for example, Optimus Prime is pinned to a wall by a sword that has to be pulled out by a truck... but then at the end he jets into space on his rockets! I think the force needed to get into space is a bit more that the truck used to extract the sword.
Come on. I'm not asking for a clever story. I like Transformers. I don't need much. But I need something. If the makers can't do a decent story then just give us the robots in disguise doing cool stuff and keep it a lot shorter next time.
Saturday 10 January 2015
Shock Head Soul
This is a pretty serious film. It depicts the mental illness of a real-life German lawyer Paul Schreber beginning when he was appointed a high court judge. The case is apparently famous because he wrote down a lot of his thoughts and published them as his memoirs in 1903: the book was then studied by many early psychologists / psychiatrists including Freud.
The film is a mostly a fictionalised reconstruction, but it also has documentary-like features. There are contributions from several present-day medical experts... all dressed up in period costume and answering questions as if present at a legal hearing to decide whether Schreber was fit to be released from his forced confinement.
I found it all quite heavy going. There were passages that seemed quite informative; and other sections where the actors depicted the madness of Schreber and the stress placed on his wife and family. I can't really fault the construction. There are some subtle repetitions which make you feel a bit mad yourself... and some subtle repetitions which make you feel a bit mad yourself... and some blatant repetitions which repeat over and over and give an impression of how frustrating it might be to try and work with the mentally ill.
Don't bother watching this film if you are looking for some light entertainment.
There is some CGI, but nothing too ostentatious. The director wisely avoids trying to depict madness as wacky other-worldly spirits and monsters... mostly.
A friend of mine once spent time in a psychiatric ward. I visited a couple of times and it was the scariest place I have ever been. This film did bring that back a bit. But his illness was nothing like Schreber.
So, hard to watch this film is. If you are interested in understanding mental illness or the history behind some of today's treatments, then it is worth the effort. It is quite grim though. I felt quite sad by the end of it... not so much for Schreber, because we only really see him broken, not as he once was... mostly I was sad for his family, especially his wife, who carried on and supported him to the end.
The film is a mostly a fictionalised reconstruction, but it also has documentary-like features. There are contributions from several present-day medical experts... all dressed up in period costume and answering questions as if present at a legal hearing to decide whether Schreber was fit to be released from his forced confinement.
I found it all quite heavy going. There were passages that seemed quite informative; and other sections where the actors depicted the madness of Schreber and the stress placed on his wife and family. I can't really fault the construction. There are some subtle repetitions which make you feel a bit mad yourself... and some subtle repetitions which make you feel a bit mad yourself... and some blatant repetitions which repeat over and over and give an impression of how frustrating it might be to try and work with the mentally ill.
Don't bother watching this film if you are looking for some light entertainment.
There is some CGI, but nothing too ostentatious. The director wisely avoids trying to depict madness as wacky other-worldly spirits and monsters... mostly.
A friend of mine once spent time in a psychiatric ward. I visited a couple of times and it was the scariest place I have ever been. This film did bring that back a bit. But his illness was nothing like Schreber.
So, hard to watch this film is. If you are interested in understanding mental illness or the history behind some of today's treatments, then it is worth the effort. It is quite grim though. I felt quite sad by the end of it... not so much for Schreber, because we only really see him broken, not as he once was... mostly I was sad for his family, especially his wife, who carried on and supported him to the end.
Friday 9 January 2015
Taken 2
Ah. The sequel trap bites me again. Much as I enjoyed Taken I avoided the sequel because I didn't think it would be any good. Then out comes Taken 3 and I think "Oh, maybe 2 was OK... if they made a 3rd."
What's Eddie's Law Of Sequels? Some people never learn.
Yes, they got me. Taken 2 is rubbish. Maybe that's a bit strong; quite disappointing would be a fairer assessment. It's clearly something knocked out for the money, with little thought. You can bet I wont be wasting any time on part 3.
SPOILERS
For a short action film (90 mins) we get a very long (20 minute?) build up at the start to tell us that the Albanian people traffickers are annoyed at Bryan for killing their men, his daughter isn't over her ordeal from the last film (but does have a boyfriend) and his ex-wife Lennie is breaking up with her new partner.
Yawn. It's just all a bit dull. A decent writer would have woven this into the story instead of just flopping it onto the screen as a lame intro.
But the prospect of the action to follow isn't that great either. The Albanians are coming to get Bryan and make him suffer. They have plenty of chances to kill him, but manage to f*ck it up every time because inexplicably they also want to kill his ex-wife and finish the job of selling his daughter into slavery.
So the Albanians have come all the way to Istanbul in 3 cars and have captured Bryan and Lennie. What do they do? Oh yes, put them in a room together and go to sit somewhere else leaving them with one guard outside who can't stay awake for more than 14 seconds.
The villains are just so staggeringly incompetent that you think you must be watching an Arnie film from the 1980s... but without any jokes. Sigh.
And don't get me started on the stupidity of a learner driver managing to crash a taxi through the anti-truck-bomb defences of a US embassy whilst under heavy machine gun fire!!!
It's stupid, humourless and formulaic. Compared to the first movie it is terrible. By itself it is simply mediocre. Shame. I can't believe it took over $300,000,000 at the box office... but that explains why it was made.
What's Eddie's Law Of Sequels? Some people never learn.
Yes, they got me. Taken 2 is rubbish. Maybe that's a bit strong; quite disappointing would be a fairer assessment. It's clearly something knocked out for the money, with little thought. You can bet I wont be wasting any time on part 3.
SPOILERS
For a short action film (90 mins) we get a very long (20 minute?) build up at the start to tell us that the Albanian people traffickers are annoyed at Bryan for killing their men, his daughter isn't over her ordeal from the last film (but does have a boyfriend) and his ex-wife Lennie is breaking up with her new partner.
Yawn. It's just all a bit dull. A decent writer would have woven this into the story instead of just flopping it onto the screen as a lame intro.
But the prospect of the action to follow isn't that great either. The Albanians are coming to get Bryan and make him suffer. They have plenty of chances to kill him, but manage to f*ck it up every time because inexplicably they also want to kill his ex-wife and finish the job of selling his daughter into slavery.
So the Albanians have come all the way to Istanbul in 3 cars and have captured Bryan and Lennie. What do they do? Oh yes, put them in a room together and go to sit somewhere else leaving them with one guard outside who can't stay awake for more than 14 seconds.
The villains are just so staggeringly incompetent that you think you must be watching an Arnie film from the 1980s... but without any jokes. Sigh.
And don't get me started on the stupidity of a learner driver managing to crash a taxi through the anti-truck-bomb defences of a US embassy whilst under heavy machine gun fire!!!
It's stupid, humourless and formulaic. Compared to the first movie it is terrible. By itself it is simply mediocre. Shame. I can't believe it took over $300,000,000 at the box office... but that explains why it was made.
Saturday 3 January 2015
Never Let Me Go
There is a lot to like about this film. But plenty to dislike too. I haven't read the book, so I can't comment on the faithfulness of the adaptation. Maybe the original material is just as depressing.
The performances of the 3 leads are good and I think setting everything in familiar surroundings is a good idea. But there is an elephant or two in the room that I just couldn't ignore. As much as I tried to focus on the love story, I couldn't stop thinking that they just wouldn't be so damned accepting of their lives. For me that just ruined everything.
SPOILERS
Very early on it is clear that the protagonists are being raised as live organ donors. Whether they are orphans, clones or some other kind of engineered people is never explained although there is a reference to them being all but human late in the film.
In this sense the film is quite like The Island. But it is much more brutal than that, because here the people know that they will be donors and that their lives will be short. That's what I found hard to believe: the protagonists barely seem to question their fate. They clearly don't want to die and try to delay the donations if possible... but they don't seem to fight as you'd expect... there's no talk of escaping... or questioning the morality of what is happening to them.
Within this mess there is a nice love story. A love triangle. In a different setting I might have enjoyed it an awful lot more. But I kept coming back to the question "why are you just accepting this?"
I think I know what the writers were trying to do. They put the characters in a bad situation to show how they try to make sense of their short lives. But to me it doesn't work, because the situation is not credible.
The performances of the 3 leads are good and I think setting everything in familiar surroundings is a good idea. But there is an elephant or two in the room that I just couldn't ignore. As much as I tried to focus on the love story, I couldn't stop thinking that they just wouldn't be so damned accepting of their lives. For me that just ruined everything.
SPOILERS
Very early on it is clear that the protagonists are being raised as live organ donors. Whether they are orphans, clones or some other kind of engineered people is never explained although there is a reference to them being all but human late in the film.
In this sense the film is quite like The Island. But it is much more brutal than that, because here the people know that they will be donors and that their lives will be short. That's what I found hard to believe: the protagonists barely seem to question their fate. They clearly don't want to die and try to delay the donations if possible... but they don't seem to fight as you'd expect... there's no talk of escaping... or questioning the morality of what is happening to them.
Within this mess there is a nice love story. A love triangle. In a different setting I might have enjoyed it an awful lot more. But I kept coming back to the question "why are you just accepting this?"
I think I know what the writers were trying to do. They put the characters in a bad situation to show how they try to make sense of their short lives. But to me it doesn't work, because the situation is not credible.
The Raven
It has taken me a while to get round to watching The Raven. I missed it at the cinema, then it was unavailable on video rental for some reason. I finally caught it on TV over Christmas. It wasn't worth the wait.
This is one of those films who's premise is appealing but which just doesn't deliver.
A killer is copying Edgar Allan Poe's stories. Poe is enlisted by the police to help. It all gets very personal. The story is sold as a fictionalised explanation of Poe's real unexplained death.
But it doesn't work. I thought the acting was OK and the sets were good. But there is no tension. It just bobs from one scene to the next. The characters don't develop at all. Poe seems insane at the beginning and just stays that way. The policeman is vaguely interesting, but no more. The villain is boring. The ending is boring.
Total disappointment.
This is one of those films who's premise is appealing but which just doesn't deliver.
A killer is copying Edgar Allan Poe's stories. Poe is enlisted by the police to help. It all gets very personal. The story is sold as a fictionalised explanation of Poe's real unexplained death.
But it doesn't work. I thought the acting was OK and the sets were good. But there is no tension. It just bobs from one scene to the next. The characters don't develop at all. Poe seems insane at the beginning and just stays that way. The policeman is vaguely interesting, but no more. The villain is boring. The ending is boring.
Total disappointment.
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